This blog post is based on a guest lecture delivered at UWE Bristol’s Politics and IR seminar series entitled: ‘The “new” politics of expulsion: a constitutive approach.’ For a long time now, the EU has sought extensive cooperation, both internally and externally, on the management of migration. Scholars and activist observers of the processes by

This blog post is based on a guest lecture delivered at UWE Bristol’s Politics and IR seminar series entitled: ‘The “new” politics of expulsion: a constitutive approach.’

For a long time now, the EU has sought extensive cooperation, both internally and externally, on the management of migration. Scholars and activist observers of the processes by which cooperation has been institutionalised have frequently pointed to the ways in which these have denigrated individual rights. And yet many International Relations theorists assume that inter-state cooperation tends to bind state into agreements which restrain sovereign power and advance individual rights.

Attention to EU cooperation on migration clearly demonstrates the extent to which longstanding norms of individual rights can be substantially re-made (and restricted) through the institutionalisation of sovereign interests in exclusion. In short, there is no reason to expect good things from ‘norm-governed behaviour’ in international relations.

Let’s consider, then, the effects that EU cooperation on migration has on international norms regarding the meaning and scope of the link between citizen and state. It has been argued that the move towards more permanent and meaningful links between the citizen and the state served an emerging sovereign interest in the exclusion of unwanted persons. The individual’s right to reside permanently in his or her own state has always been closely related to the state’s right to exclude, then deport, non-citizens. Deportability is an important aspect of the international constitution of the citizen-state link.

For sixty-odd years, however, refugees have been a formalised exception to the rule that individuals are deportable to their country of origin. In spite of all the challenges of refugee protection, the ban on returning a refugee to a territory where his or her life or freedom would be threatened has served as an acknowledgement of the possible dangers of the citizen-state link, and is part of the wider meaning of citizen-state links in international relations.

Today, refugees are increasingly at risk in the context of a European approach to migration which has once again made refugees deportable. Beyond Europe, NGOs have warned that attempts to open up discussions on the refugee-definition would be likely to lead to an even tighter, more restrictive understanding. Even with the 1951 Refugee Convention in the background, EU policy on readmission now tends to assume that would-be refugees’ countries of origin are safe to return to in spite of evidence to the contrary, and seeks explicitly the readmission of refugees to those countries of origin, and/or third countries on that basis. This has negative implications not just for individual refugees (though these are very worrying), but also for the way that individuality more generally is constituted by states, regional bodies and international bodies, and the policies and practices of these actors.

Today, then, normative expectations about the proper link between citizens and states are being reconstituted in two clear ways: 1. The acknowledgement of the dangers of states’ exclusive control over their citizens is being restricted or withdrawn 2. Unilateral declarations on the responsibility of third states for noncitizens are being operationalised. The result is a much degraded normative framework of individual personhood, which points to a tendency of inter-state recognition to challenge ostensibly universal individual rights.

A Princeton PhD, was a U.S. diplomat for over 20 years, mostly in Central/Eastern Europe, and was promoted to the Senior Foreign Service in 1997. After leaving the State Department to express opposition to the planned invasion of Iraq, he was privileged to have give-and-take conversations (officially called “courses”) with Georgetown University students pertaining to

tass.com image (not from article) from According to the head of the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs Alexander Bugayev, they were interrupted due to some reasons PYONGYANG, November 18. /TASS/. Russia and North Korea are considering plans of stepping up cooperation to organize youth exchange programs, Head of the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs Alexander […]

Joseph Varghese, gulf-times.com *The organisation’s 5th General Assembly gathers its members at Katara to discuss various topics and future projectsMembers of the Global Public Diplomacy [JB emphasis] Network (GPDNet) have unanimously elected Qatar as the next president of the organisation during the start of its fifth General Assembly at Katara – the Cultural Village on […]

Description The Encyclopedia of Diplomacy is a complete and authoritative 4-volume compendium of the most important events, people and terms associated with diplomacy and international relations from ancient times to the present, from a global perspective. An invaluable resource for anyone interested in diplomacy, its history and the relations between states Includes newer areas

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The launch of the book was done by Honorable Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu amidst the presence of dignitaries like Dr. Sonal Mansingh, Shri Manoj Tewari, ambassadors and diplomats.
Mansi Gulati, the yoga exponent and author launched her new book ‘Yoga and Mindfulness’ in association with Public Diplomacy [JB emphasis] Forum recently. The launch of the book was done by Honorable Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu amidst the presence of dignitaries like Dr. Sonal Mansingh, Shri Manoj Tewari, ambassadors and diplomats.
Mansi Gulati addressed the audience and spoke about the benefits of yoga. She said her book ‘Yoga and Mindfulness’ was the simplest study on the subject which is based on the fact that yoga is not mere asanas but everything done with mindfulness and dedication.

Imagine a place ornate not usually with an memorable coming nonetheless with unimaginable natural, biological, aesthetic, informative and chronological value? Does such a place even exist and how does it demeanour like? We’ll answer we loyal divided – it does. And Serbia has 14 such destinations! Welcome to a enchanting universe of superb healthy landscapes!

Diplomats are still required to be discreet and master the art of equivocation, but they are also now mandated to be more communicative without giving too much away. This explains multifarious social media initiatives launched by India’s external affairs ministry. The official spokesperson’s Twitter account boasts of more than 132,630 followers. The new-look website of

Twitter is not only the fastest growing form of social media around, but also a veritable initiation to digital diplomacy for most ambassadors around the globe. Indeed, 140 characters have changed the way we see the world. It has changed how foreign policy is shaped to better respond to new international challenges. In ancient Rome,

Carl Bildt is pushing for diplomacy’s digital evolution; and Hyundai sponsors the Tate Modern to promote S. Korea. The PDcast is a weekly podcast featuring Julia Watson, Adam Cyr and Michael Ardaiolo discussing the trending public diplomacy topics. Subscribe now in iTunes. The conversation continues using @Public_Diplomat and #PDcast. Send us your questions, comments and suggestions throughout the week, and we will use them

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